Royally Yours: Week in Review

The Royals had mixed results last week. Their first series was on the road against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Royals won the series 2-1. Their weekend series was against the White Sox in Chicago. The White Sox won the series 2-1. The Royals performance this week hurt their chances at a play-off spot.

The New York Yankees lead the wild card race with a record of 86-69. The Yankees have already clinched a playoff spot and will either be American League East champions or a wild card team in the playoffs. The Minnesota Twins are currently second in the wild card race with an 82-74 record. The Royals are 5.5 games behind the Twins. The wild card chances for the Royals look slim with only one week left in the regular season.

Mike Moustakas hit his 37th home run of the season on Wednesday. It broke Steve Balboni’s old record of 36, which he set in 1985. The Royals are the only team without a 40 home run season. Moustakas will have one more week to add to his historic home run total. His performance this season will help him when he hits free agency this off-season.

On Tuesday Alex Gordon hit the 5,694th home run of the 2017 MLB season. It is the most home runs in a season. The Royals have 185 home runs so far this season. The previous record was 168 in 1987. The Royals offense has struggled this season but they have improved their power hitting.

The Royals will face three opponents next week. They start the week against the Yankees in New York. The game will be a makeup of the May 25th game. This game will not have a big impact on the wild card race because the Yankees have already clinched a playoff spot. The Royals will return home on Tuesday to face the Detroit Tigers. It will be their last series against an American League Central opponent. The Tigers are in last place in the division. The Royals final series of the 2017 season will be at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks have had a breakout season and have already clinched a National League wild card spot. The Royals only have one week of the 2017 season left. They still have a shot at a wild card spot but will need to have a good week and help from the Twins, Angels, and Rangers.